Puzzle.



No. 743,015. PATENTED NOV. 3,1903. E. S. MOWRY.

PUZZLE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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Q M 4 @V QLJM Attorney Patented November 3, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE. V

EDWARD S. MOWRY, OF. 'MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT.

PUZZLE.

srncrrrcerron aimin part of Letters Patent No. 743,015, dated November 3, 1903.

Application filed September 30, 1902. $erial No. 125 378. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD S. MOWRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Middletown, in the county of Middlesex and State of Connecticut, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Puzzles, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements inpuzzles; and its object, among other things, is to provide a puzzle which will be both simple and inexpensive in construction and the solution of which will afford both amusement and instruction to the operator.

To these and other ends my invention consists in the puzzle having certain details of construction and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals of reference designate like parts in the several figures, Figure 1 is a plan view of the puzzle. Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation of the base upon line A B of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is aperspective view of one of the cars.

The numeral l'designates the base, which can be made of any suitable material, preferably wood, and is provided in its upper surface with an inverted-T groove, (designated 2,) which is closed at both ends, and a similar T-shaped curved groove 3, opening at either.

end into the said groove 2. The groove 2 will be hereinafter mentioned as the main track and the groove 3 as the switch. Slidable within these grooves are a plurality of cars 4, which are constructed with a depending tongue 5 of less length than the body of the car and having a head 6 thereon, the cros -section of the tongue 5 and of the grooves 2 and 3 being substantially the same.

In the drawings theeight cars are shown upon the main track and numbered, respectively, l to 8 from left to right with the unnumbered 0r dummy car upon the switch. The number, design, length, 850., of the cars can be varied indefinitely within my invention. r

The object of the puzzle is to shift the position of the cars upon the main track by the use of the switch, so that the numbers thereof will readfrom right to left instead of from left to right, as shown, and vice versa, and still leave the dummy car upon the switch.

I am aware that puzzles of this general character have been heretofore made; but in each instance the switch has been in the shape of a Y, the tail of the Y forming a stem or guideway whereby the cars can be turned end for end, thus simplifying the puzzle.

In my construction the switch is a single unbroken curve having no offshoots, and the .position of the cars cannot be reversed by turning them end for end, as in the prior constructions. I prefer to construct all of the parts of the sameproportional sizes, as illustrated, but do not limit myself thereto.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- In a puzzle, the combination with the base having the straight T-groove 2 therein closed at both ends, and the curved T-groove 3 opening at either end into said straight T- groove; of a plurality of cars 4, having depending tongues 5 thereon and heads 6 upon said tongues, mounted in and movable within both of said grooves, the said tongues 5 and heads 6 being of less length than the heads 4. and disposed intermediate the endsof the cars, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence oftwo witnesses.

. EDWARD S.-MOWRY. Witnesses:

ERNEST L. GIBBONS,

H. C. WHITTLESEY. 

